Portable golf driving range including hinge means connecting self-supporting panels



July 2, 1968 H. L. MEGERLE PORTABLE GOLF DRIVING RANGE INCLUDING HINGEMEANS CONNECTING SELF-SUPPORTING PANELS Filed Feb. 9. 1966 FIG. 1

INVENTOR. HERBERT L. MEGERLE United States PatentO 3,390,882 PORTABLEGOLF DRIVING RANGE INCLUDING HINGE MEANS CONNECTING SELF-SUPPORT- INGPANELS Herbert L. Megerle, 669 Seward St., Rochester, NY. 14611 FiledFeb. 9, 1966, Ser. No. 526,250 6 Claims. (Cl. 273-182) This inventionrelates to practice apparatus for golfers, and more particularly to aportable golf driving range.

Most golfers will agree, that to excel in the sport of golfing, theymust heed the old adage practice makes perfect. For the golfers whoreside in climates where the sport is necessarily rather seasonal,devices have been provided which permit such golfers to practice theirstrokes out of season. Such prior devices include portable drivingranges which can be erected in a garage, yard, basement, etc., tofunction as a backstop or catcher against which a golfer may drive golfballs; but these, as a general rule, are made of canvas or netting.

A major disadvantage of such prior ranges is that they are easilyripped, or torn, and are diflicult to store. Moreover, the golf ballsdriven into the canvas or netting of such range, must thereafter beretrieved and returned to the simulated tee or area from which they wereoriginally driven.

An object of this invention is to provide a portable golf driving range,which is substantially sturdier than prior such ranges, and which iscollapsible so as to occupy a minimum amount of storage space.

A further object of this invention is to provide an improved drivingrange of the type described, which tends to return a driven golf ballapproximately to the point from where it was driven.

Other objects of the invention will be apparent hereinafter from thespecification and from the recital of the appended claims, particularlywhen read in conjunction with the accompanying drawing.

In the drawing:

FIG. 1 is a rear view of a portable driving range made in accordancewith one embodiment of this invention;

FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken along the line 22 in FIG. 1 looking inthe direction of the arrows;

FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken along the line 33 in FIG. 1 looking inthe direction of the arrows; and

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of this range.

Referring now to the drawing by numerals of reference, a collapsibledriving range or golf ball catcher made in accordance with oneembodiment of this invention is designated at 10. This range, whichdecreases in area from front to rear, is truncated pyramidal in shape,and rectangular in cross section. It has side panels 12 and 14, a toppanel 16, a bottom panel 18, and a rear panel 20. The panels 12, 14, 16and 18 are trapezoidal in shape, and have the confronting side edgesthereof pivotally connected by hinges 22, 24, 26 and 28. The end panel20 is rectangular and is pivotally connected at its marginal edge to therear marginal edges of each of the panels 12, 14, 16 and 18 by a pair ofhinges 30. Two spaced, parallel cleats or reinforcing members 32 aresecured to the outer face of the rear panel 20.

Secured to and covering the inside face of each of the panels 12, 14, 16and 20 is a thick, resilient layer of insulation or padding 32, 34, 36and 38, respectively.

Pivotally connected at one end thereof by a hinge 40 to the outer faceof the bottom panel 18 adjacent the rear edge thereof is a collapsiblesupporting leg 42.

To use the device, the forward edge of the lower panel 18 is placed uponthe ground, or, if the range is used indoors, upon the floor, and theleg 42 is pivoted down wardly to support the rear end of the rangeslightly 3,390,882 Patented July 2, 1968 "Ice 7 2 above ground or floorlevel. This, as shown more clearly in FIGS. 1 and 2, causes the lowerpanel 18 to be inclined to the horizontal downwardly from its rear edgetoward its forward edge.

In use, a golfer tees up his golf ball at any convenient point in frontof the range, and drives into the front, open end of the range. If theball strikes the inclined, lower panel 18, it will 'bounce against oneof these side pads 32 or 34, or against the upper pad 36, and backdownonto the lower panel 18. The pads 32, 34, 36 absorb much of the strikingforce of the ball. Since the panel 18 is not covered with resilientmaterial, the ball will roll out of the range 10, and back in thedirection from which it was driven. Similarly, if the driven ballstrikes directly against the pad 38 on the rear panel 20, or firstagainst one of the panels 32, 34 or 36 and then against the rear panel,the cushioning effect of the pads will cause the ball to drop harmlesslyonto the lower panel 18 to be returned thereby in the direction of thegolfer.

The panels 12, 14, 16, 18 and 20 may be made from plywood, or a likeself-supporting material. Each of the hinges 22, 24, 26 and 28 and 30has a pintle, which may be removed manually, thereby readily to collapseor disassemble the range.

From the foregoing it will be apparent that applicant has devised arelatively simple, sturdy, and inexpensive driving range which may beset up in a garage, yard, living room, or other suitable area, to permitpractice golf strokes without endangering persons or nearby property.Moreover, with this novel range the driven golf ball is automaticallyreturned toward the golfer after its striking force has been absorbed bythe range.

While the invention has been described in connection with a specificembodiment thereof, it will be understood that it is capable of furthermodification, and this application is intended to cover any variations,uses, or adaptations of the invention following, in general, theprinciples of the invention and including such departures from thepresent disclosure as come within known or customary practice in the artto which the inventon pertains and as may be applied to the essentialfeatures hereinbefore set forth, and as fall within the scope of theinvention or the limits of the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is:

1. A portable driving range for golfers, comprising (a) a firstplurality of rigid, trapezoidally shaped panels constructed ofself-supporting material,

(b) a further rigid panel constructed of self-supporting material andhaving a number of sides equal to the number of said first panels,

(c) hinge means connecting said panels together so that they form aself-supporting readily disassembled container having a diminishingcross sectional area, and which is open at its larger end and closed atits smaller end by said further panel,

(d) resilient means secured to certain of said panels to cushion andhalt the flight of a golf ball driveninto the open end of saidcontainer, and (e) pivotally mounted leg means for holding saidcontainer in a position such that one of said first plurality of panelsforms a bottom inclined to the horizontal so that a ball driven into thecontainer will be returned by gravity out of the open end of thecontainer after its fiight is halted. 2. A portable driving range asdefined in claim 1, wherein said hinge connecting means comprises i (a)a first plurality of hinges pivotally connecting the sides of saidfurther panel to the sides of said first panels which are the shorter ofthe parallel sides of said first panels, and (b) a further plurality ofhinges pivotally connecting the inclined sides of each of said firstpanels to the.

3 4 inclined sides of adjacent ones of said first panels. (a) there arefour of said first panels, and 3. A portable driving range as defined inclaim 1, (b) said further panel is rectangular. wherein said pivotallymounted leg means comprises a 6. A portable drivi g range as defined inlaim 5, rigid leg member Pivotally conflected at one end Thereofincluding a pair of spaced, parallel reinforcing cleats to one of Saidfirst P111nels adlacent Said further Panel, 5 secured to the face ofsaid further panel at the exterior and engageable at its opposite endwith a horizontal surof said Containen face to support the closed end ofsaid container above said surface with said one of said first panelsinclined References Cited to said surface.

4. A portable driving range as defined in claim 3, 10 UNITED STATESPATENTS wherein 1,218,390 3/1917 Gates.

(a) said resilient means comprises a resilient pad se- 1, 5/ 1932Mfltheson et cured to and substantially covering one face of each 3,6/1962 Yollllceof said panels except said one panel, and (b) said panelsare connected together so that said 15 RICHARD C. PINKHAM, PrimaryExaminer.

pads face the interior of said container. 5. A portable driving range asdefined in claim 1, MARLO Assistant Exammcr wherein

1. A PORTABLE DRIVING RANGE FOR GOLFERS, COMPRISING (A) A FIRSTPLURALITY OF RIGID, TRAPEZOIDALLY SHAPED PANELS CONSTRUCTED OFSELF-SUPPORTING MATERIAL, (B) A FURTHER RIGID PANEL CONSTRUCTED OFSELF-SUPPORTING MATERIAL AND HAVING A NUMBER OF SIDES EQUAL TO THENUMBER OF SAID FIRST PANELS, (C) HINGE MEANS CONNECTING SAID PANELSTOGETHER SO THAT THEY FORM A SELF-SUPPORTING READILY DISASSEMBLEDCONTAINER HAVING A DIMINISHING CROSS SECTIONAL AREA, AND WHICH IS OPENAT ITS LARGER END AND CLOSED AT ITS SMALLER END BY SAID FURTHER PANEL,(D) RESILIENT MEANS SECURED TO CERTAIN OF SAID PANELS TO CUSHION ANDHALT THE FLIGHT OF A GOLF BALL DRIVEN INTO THE OPEN END OF SAIDCONTAINER, AND (E) PIVOTALLY MOUNTED LEG MEANS FOR HOLDING SAIDCONTAINER IN A POSITION SUCH THAT ONE OF SAID FIRST PLURALITY OF PANELSFORMS A BOTTOM INCLINED TO THE HORIZONTAL SO THAT A BALL DRIVEN INTO THECONTAINER WILL BE RETURNED BY GRAVITY OUT OF THE OPEN END OF THECONTAINER AFTER ITS FLIGHT IS HALTED.